No Jumper - Rexx Life Raj on Adderall Addiction, Losing Both Parents This Year, NBA2K Appearance & More

Episode Date: September 4, 2022

T-Rell called Trevor for reinforcement to talk to Bay Area's Rexx Life Raj! ----- 00:00 Intro 0:05 - Trevor joins the pod for the first time because he brought Rexx Life to T-Rell’s attention 1:46 - How Rexx got his song in NBA2K. Won’t disclose how much he got from the Empire advance 3:48 - Getting flown out to the NBA2K premiere, getting custom copies of the game 4:29 - Growing up in Berkley and Vallejo, California. Playing football at Boise State 10:15 - T-Rell laughs at Rexx majoring in communications 12:01 - Getting introduced to A___ after college 14:10 - Rexx details losing both his parents in the last year 18:44 - Using music as a journal helped him grieve the loss of his parents. Being confused about whether he is strong or numb 25:00 - Being the master of cutting people off 25:51 - Working with E-40, wanting to work with Brent Faiyaz 27:50 - Rexx says Trev could be invited to the barbecue. Trev: “I’m not on no Adam sh*t” 28:10 - Rexx says he f*cks with Adam even though he’s said things that upset him 28:50 - Rexx is a Sharp fan 29:55 - Reading books, watching gamers on Youtube 35:44 - Recording a song with Symba. Connecting with Mozzy through Empire 38:36 - Not being a fan of the posthumous album 43:40 - New Album ‘The Blue Hour’ is out now with Larry June, Wale, Fireboy DML, Russ. Tour upcoming soon 47:38 - Red flags in label deals: at least 50/50 partnership, anything in perpetuity, leasing rights vs. selling ----- NO JUMPER PATREON http://www.patreon.com/nojumper CHECK OUT OUR NEW SPOTIFY PLAYLIST https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5te... FOLLOW US ON SNAPCHAT FOR THE LATEST NEWS & UPDATES https://www.snapchat.com/discover/No_... CHECK OUT OUR ONLINE STORE!!! http://www.nojumper.com/ SUBSCRIBE for new interviews (and more) weekly: http://bit.ly/nastymondayz  Follow us on SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/show/4ENxb4B... iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/n... Follow us on Social Media: https://www.snapchat.com/discover/No_... http://www.twitter.com/nojumper http://www.instagram.com/nojumper https://www.facebook.com/NOJUMPEROFFI... http://www.reddit.com/r/nojumper JOIN THE DISCORD: https://discord.gg/Q3XPfBm Follow Adam22: https://www.tiktok.com/@adam22 http://www.twitter.com/adam22 http://www.instagram.com/adam22 adam22hoe on Snapchat Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What's up y'all, man. It's T.R.L. And I'm here with my boy, Rex Life. And I got my boy, Trevor, right here. It's first time co-hosting and interviewing on No Jumper. I'm glad to have you both here, as a matter of fact. I appreciate y'all. And congrats to you, bro. That's crazy. No, yeah. I appreciate T.R. Just don't alley with him, man, for real. Yeah, I mean, he came through with it. He was like, I think this, you know, I think he's really cool. His music is really dope. You know, he love all his, you know, up north artists anyway. Up north. Yes, sir. I mean, because, like, that's funny.

I mean, yeah, he loved doing it. I mean, anything he brings to me or anything, like, you know, he's like, okay, you know, I think this would be good for you. I'm like, whatever, you know what I'm saying? Right. His ears to the street has been to the street. Like, he's been a creator for a long time. Like, and, like, he really brings things to life here at no jumper.

So, you know, I'm going to take his word for us. All right, bro. Yeah. Seems like a shit to have around, bro. That's tight. Oh, everything. Man, we've been looking you up. You know what I'm saying?

I've been doing my research and I've been like, damn, you know what I'm saying? Like, it really is. Like, some people, like, a lot of people don't know, you know, but, you know, it's like, I'd be feeling like certain people, like, they need that light shed on them for sure. Like, you've got to have, like, you know what I'm saying? Especially if you're really taking this music shit serious, like in your craft series, like, you got to have that light shed on your lights. And for me, when I interview,

You know, I love to do that. You feel me? I'm more so I ain't to the like the mainstream. So I love doing this and you, yeah, for sure. You're one of them people that's been in that category for show. I appreciate that man. I appreciate y'all having me. I didn't think I would be on a no jumper.

You know, it's interesting being on a jumper. But I'm just happy to be here, bro. So like I said, I appreciate y'all having me. Yeah, he's got songs in 2K. Like, I got a song and 2K. I just say it. That's my biggest song ever, you know what you feel like. I mean, we could put a plural ass on it.

That's so sure. Just running out. Yeah. Speaking into existence, that's sick, though. On 2K? That's pretty wild. Run it. You know, you're playing 2K.

Niggas was hitting me like, bro, that's crazy. I'm like, yeah, bro, fuck with me. Man, how did that even come about, though? I think that was, I'm gonna keep it like, I think that was some Empire shit. I think, um... Publishing side of things.

Yeah, I think that year was a few artists from Empire on there. Oh, okay. And I just happened to be one. And then it helped that I had Kenny Beats. You know what I'm saying? He's just who he is. Yeah.

And I think the song just, fit hella well in the game. Is it royalties behind that? I know you get a, you get cashed out up front for sure. And then, no, I don't think it's no royalties behind it. Oh, they get you cash up front for that? Well, you get it, you get an advance. Oh, you do?

Oh, how much was it? Watch out of running this day. I'm trying to see. I'm trying to see. Just in case, you know what I'm saying? I'd be like, hold on to okay, you know what I'm saying? I need to be around the same little amount. They're paying well.

They're paying well. Any shit you get your music play zone, no, they got to cash you out real quick. Too, cool little check. It's a little check. Did it say 2K? On the check? Yeah. I'm direct deposit.

Brother. I ain't seen the check since 2001. I ain't going to lie to you. Yeah, you check this routing number real quick. A lot of people don't do that. Is it one of those things that you don't know what's going to happen or like you buy the game and see it or you know beforehand type of shit? We knew beforehand because, you know, it's hell of paperwork. They've got to get situated and, you know, they claim.

wearing all kind of shit. So you kind of get, you get a warning before, but it's kind of like they still picking the records and then they pick your shit. So you know, you know it's coming, for sure. Yeah, because I mean, like, if you drop an album and you're not on that shit,

it's just like, fuck, I thought I was going to be on. That's how niggas do you. That's how you. So 2K got your back. Yeah, 2K, fuck with you. No, that's just tight to have that on a resume, though. It's clean, man.

It's a blessing. And then what's really tight about 2K is that I can't speak for too many other games or anything, but they treat you right. Like, they'll fly you out to, mirror the game all kind of shit so we was in new york um they did like a like an interactive kind of like a event which was which was crazy so yeah they treat niggas right how many copies do you get

though of the game yeah i think i got three custom copies because they did this little like photo booth where you photos you photoshop yourself onto the cover and so i got like three of those that's hard yeah yeah i mean before we get into a you know before we go further uh for the no jumper fans You feel I mean, let's start from the beginning, man. You know what I'm saying? Your life and your upbringing and, you know, where you came from. So I'm from Berkeley, California. Born and raised.

I moved to Vallejo when I was like 14. Yeah, and that's where I'm from. That's what, you know, influenced the music and everything. I ended up going to college at Boise State and played football era for four years. Came back and just fully did music. A, blondeies or fast slice? Fast lights, which I was the answer. RIP fastlights.

They closed that shit down. but fast lights for show. Blondies is legendary, though, but fast life's for sure. Just that whole area of Berkeley is pretty, like, legendary. Yeah, Telegraph. What's crazy is a few years ago, I was reading some article,

and it was like, Berkeley is like the number six college city in the country, and it's not even something that I think about because I'm from near, but when you get up past, like Shattuck, it's for sure, like a college town, so it's a unique place. You never crashed any of the frat parties?

Nah, I think I went to a couple in high school. We tried to get in, but they had like, first off, like, young niggas trying to get into a frat party as them. They're not going down. But I feel like we went to, like, one or two for sure. When did you fall in low or rapping? Bro, shit, since I can remember, I remember my cousin helped me write.

My first rap, it was, like, in second grade. Second grade? Yeah, it was some school shit. You know, it was, like, a rap for school. But he was hell of, like, pro-black. So I was in class in second grade. rapping pure pro black shit, niggas, I'm playing with this black shit. Please tell me what you were rapping pro black.

I remember one part was, it was the black man enslaved for 400 years. They sent the Indians through the Trail of Tears, writing this song to destroy your fears. No more stories player, because the truth is here. I know what happened. And history's wrong. You should know the truth, too. That's why I wrote this song. Then what I said, Pocahontas was cute, but they killed the Red Man.

Then came to Ku Klux Klan. I was in second grade. Lacing me. Come on. Stop fucking playing with me. Lacing they stupid assing. I got bars. In the second grade.

In the second grade. And you were giving a rat. Lacey. You know, I'm telling you, bro. That's like what like my cousin wrote that for me and I fake like co-wrote it. But that's, I was like standing in front of class rapping that shit. Please tell me the upbringing. It was like, damn.

Like, hold on. Like, let's go back to mom and dad. Was they like pro black too? Yeah, my pops was for sure. He was really tapped in with the Panthers. Oh, okay. Okay, okay. But this cousin was on my mama's side, and they weren't hell of

pro-black like that at all, but I think, like, he just found his way, you know, navigating just, you know, the black experience. So, yeah, my dad was involved with the Panthers, anything political in Oakland, he was with it. So that's always been a part of me. My mom was just super religious, super spiritual, everything about faith. So I kind of got the best of both worlds like that. So in Oakland, it was like the Panther movement was like real strong up there, too. For sure, 1,000 percent.

Isn't it originate, like originated in open type of shit? It started there. You know, you got the Huey P's of Bobby Seals. All those dudes, and what's crazy about is when you look back on it, how young they were. You know what I'm saying? Like Huey P and Bobby Seal, all these dudes are like at the time maybe 20, 21, 22. And my dad came up around that, you know, so his experience of the world is just different. And so he instilled that in me.

Yeah, just going to school and just having that knowledge still at a young age. Like, you was in second grade, and you knew what you was. rapping like I don't know if I knew you don't know if you knew like I knew but I don't think I could fully comprehend because a lot of shit you got to live through it's like lived experiences but I for showing it whatever my cousins told me anybody I looked up to my dad I was with all that shit so did you always look at yourself as like an artist or did you have to find that artistry because I know that's kind of like a thing looking at myself as an artist is an interesting concept but I think I knew I like to rap I knew I like to make shit you know what I'm saying like I'm

always to this day like I just be on Photoshop just making art. You know, so ever since I can remember, I liked rap, produce, draw, write poetry, build shit. Like, all my favorite games is like the tycoon games, the Sims, you know what I'm saying? Shit where you could build shit.

So I guess in that regard, I don't know if I can, like, looked at myself as an artist, but I just did artist shit. And then you just, you know, you checked into college and you felt like, you know what, I'm majoring and such or such.

And this just isn't the path for me. I'm going just go this direction and I'm going to fully, take it serious. Yeah, so for me, going to college of Boise, it was a blessing because I played football and I was like, I was always big. I was bigger back then. I was like 300, but I was just like athletic for my size and that allowed me to go to Boise and play. And I knew I wasn't a type of nigga when I went to college, like, oh, I'm going to go to the NFL. That wasn't me. Like, I was a nigga in the, you know, the setup in the dorm rooms and shit, niggas was coming through

rapping. The chicks that come through rapping. I never wanted to go to the NFL. It was niggas that did they ended up going but for me it was like I have the skill set of playing football and I got the grades and it meant a lot to my parents it meant a lot to my family everybody around me because you know niggas don't get that opportunity so for me it was like I'm gonna go up here get this degree but when I'm doing I'm coming right back oh so it's more so like get the degree more than than than you rather like going to the NFL and like reaching that that level at least you're going to get your degree out of the degree was for sure the thing you know where are we from that's what they pre like go get your degree go get a degree go get a degree

So I was like, all right, I'm going to go get this degree. But at the same time, I was playing football. I made some of the best friends I'll ever make in my life. The experience is crazy because when I was up there, we was winning. You know what I'm saying? We only lost, I think, three games in my whole tenure. You know, it was tight when we was up there. So the experience was crazy, you know, lifelong friends.

But to me, it was just a degree and then getting back to this music shit. What did you end up majoring in? Communication. That's what I got that's fucked up. Why he laughed like that immediately. You think it was in school books? Oh shit. Imagine

imagine it's been in four years getting a degree for you to tell a nigga and he just started laughing to your face. That's why my nigga stopped

going to college. That's why Nick's Sildre. That's why I mean you go to four years you play football we expecting you

to go to fucking the NFL that's a problem. I'm like well what the fuck you can what you major in communication

and then now you had no jumper talking to me talking to me talking about you all you always been a creative and all

He's drawing this emotion. But I told you. That's hell of funny. That's hell of funny. Yeah, now I got my little com degree. What's crazy is like when I got up there with you, you talked to the counselor and she's like, what degree do you want to get?

I'm like psychology. You know what I said some of my whole shit like that. And she's like, you know what? Let's just put you in communication for now. So let's dumb it down a little. Literally, but a lot of the niggas got calm degrees. That's literally what. He's saying, wow.

But that's how the game go for sure. Yeah. They don't want you to overwhelm yourself with the academics and shit. Because you was playing football. But sure. And that shit was a full-time job. You could even say that with the rap, bro. Like, they want the rap to be dumb down too.

You know, like... One thousand percent. That's why it's like to have artists like you appear in shit. It's tight because you're coming through with the bars. You're like the artist-artist type shit. Right, right. Yeah. It's interesting. When you say they, who is they?

Me. I consider myself artists because I do the video stuff. So my outlet, like my medium is just different. It's not a rap, but there's parallels and all this shit. For sure. I come through. I just, no. Yeah, he do. He do. No, no, no, he didn't fucking.

Hey, but hold on, no. I want to talk about, I want to talk about. You good, bro. Before, before college, like, when did, when was the Adderall introduced? After college. After college? So you went through college with no Adderall? No, because we had the drug test.

But isn't Adderall, like, prescribed? I wasn't prescribed. Why would Adderall be prescribed in college? That's where it's predominantly. That's where it's predominantly yet. Also, that's where you. You got addicted. I didn't get addicted.

I'm just saying. Hey, and I'm just asking because he's got, he's got, like, more Adderall bars than now. Like, he got a lot of Adderall bars.

So the point where I stopped rapping about Adderall and shit and stopped doing it so much because I was, it was niggas was coming up to me like, oh man, I just got a script for some Adderall. And I'm like, all right, bro. So when did you get addicted?

Damn there, 2000. And no, no, just funny. I think the first time I did Adderalto was when I got out of college, maybe like 2000. 13. Mm-hmm.

You have a song called Adderall. Do I have a song called Aderall? Pretty sure it's like from like 2012 or 2013. I might. We might have to look at that right now because you probably was a song called Adderall? You was doing too much.

I would like to hear that song was not going crazy. You were. Come on. You really were. I was really impressed. Like I was really impressed. Hopefully some of them turned to like.

But I'm saying like Adderall writing music off to Adderall. Like it's just, It's easy to become addicted when you find some shit like that. It's interesting. What I could say about actually the creative process of Adderall is that when I'm on Adderall and I make music, I'll get more music done.

I might do like three or four songs in the night. And you got to think I'm mixing and doing all my shit because I record myself. And I'll get them done. I don't think I'm the most creative when I'm on Adderall. I don't think my bars are as tight. I don't think my melodies because this is very rigid. It's just like, I want to get this done.

It kind of takes the emotion out of you. That's a great way to describe it. So what are you on now? What gives you motivation while you're rapping now? Just life, bro. Life right now because life, you know, for the last year, it's been insane. You know what I'm saying?

So just pure life experiences and then putting out this project and seeing the reception that is getting from people has been like hell empowering, bro. I mean, take me through it. How has it been insane? So last year I lost both of my parents. I lost my mom in May, and then I lost my dad in August.

I lost my mom from cancer, and I lost my dad from heart failure, I think is why they said he passed, but he had a lot of stuff going on. Like he was on dialysis, he had congestive heart failure, he had diabetes, he had like a lot of stuff going on. So at the end, or right when COVID started, my mom got diagnosed. And it was a blessing in disguise that I happened to be around the house because we lived in Vallejo. and my mom, she liked to take these walks to just stay active. And I would go walking with her. And what I would notice was, like, we would be walking, and then she'll just randomly just stumble.

You know what I'm saying? Just something like, but she started doing it frequently. And then the last time she did it, like, she was walking through the house, and she just stumbled. And then boom, she, like, caught herself on the wall. And, like, at first I'm thinking it's like, oh, this is just like, she's getting older. You know, shit happens when you get older.

But the last time, I'm like, yo, you need to get checked out because that, what is that? she goes, she makes an appointment. A couple days later, she goes to the doctor, and they do the cat scan MRI, boom, they find cancer. They find it in her brain, because I started looking at first, but after they do the whole body scan, it was everywhere, you know. And so that just started that journey of that, bro,

which is crazy because it turned me into like a full-time caregiver from being like an artist. Because my parents had a delivery service in Berkeley. So I always worked with my parents, even as an artist when I wasn't on tour, when I wasn't doing music, I was just helping them because they weren't making hell of money at the time. So when that happened to her, because she was taking care of my dad, so when that happened to her, it's like I had to take care of her and then also step up with the responsibilities that she was doing with my dad.

And then life just crazy because she passed within eight months of her diagnosis. It was quick. It was so quick. It's like a blur in my mind, bro. You know what I'm saying? Like everything happens so fast. and then my dad passed three months later and um it was just you know it was crazy it was just literally crazy bro damn i can't imagine going through that like especially at a young age and doing

that losing both of your parents and then usually like where did it take you do you do you feel like you was just like was you in a dark space or like where did what did it did it motivate you to do better or what so when i was taking care of my parents, I didn't really have time to do music. Like, I just stopped. I didn't really have because it's like, it's a full-time job being a caregiver. My mom was doing brain radiation, chemo. She in and out the doctor multiple times a week. My dad is, you know, four times a week dialysis going to Kaiser, like, I'm feeding them. I'm doing all this kind of stuff. So I couldn't really do music. But what I would do was, I would literally, like, in my phone, I would just take

notes on life, you know what I'm saying? Just like all these emotions and thoughts. and, you know, compartmentalizing everything that was happening to me. Because all my music, like, you know, is just about what's going on in my life. And though I couldn't do music at the time, I knew at some point this was going to be something I was going to write about. You know what really solidified it for me was my mom was in the ER one day because something had happened with her liver or something. We went to the ER. And I remember sitting there with her and she looked up in me and she said, she was like, no matter what the outcome of this, is, I know you're going to make beautiful music. That's literally what she said. And so for me,

it was just like at that point, like I said, if you listen to the album, like, I'm recording her prayers, you know what I'm saying? Like, I'm just doing all, taking notes on life to the point where after she passed, like this whole album was made within the three months that my mom died before my dad passed. I just was in the studio, you know, just getting all these notes out and turning these notes into songs and these ideas and the concept. And I just was in the studio. And I just was in the studio. and putting these prayers in, and that's kind of how the music was made. And what's crazy to me is that I didn't even get a chance. The whole album is about grief, but I didn't even get a chance to talk about my dad.

Like, it's all about my mom. I think one song, Hands and Knees, I wrote after my dad died. But the rest of it is just like, you know, just around the experience of losing my mom, grieving, processing it, all that shit. Damn. That's crazy to hear, like, going through that. Like, do you feel like that helped you grieve? For sure.

Because for me, it's like, when I write, it's like a journal. Like, I'm just writing what's going on in my life. And it forces you to really look at yourself. You know what I'm saying? Because you writing all these thoughts out and these streams of consciousness and all your pains and your problems. It's like, you have to confront it every day. You mix in it.

You master in it. You see it. I hear these prayers. I see these feelings I'm having. So it's like, it puts me face to face in front of it. And I think that's like one of the things people tell me is that, oh, you're strong. You know what I'm saying? Like, I don't understand how you could do it.

One, I don't know if I'm strong or I'm numb. I think niggas get those two things confused. But also it's like I couldn't run from it because it was so in front of my face that it forced me to deal with a lot of the shit in real time. Man, that's crazy that you say that because I think I deal with the numbness. For sure. I deal with the numbness and I deal with, you know, having, you know, losses of any kind for I've been dealing with that shit for so long and it's just like I don't have a feeling and I'll be telling myself it's like is that normal like now that I'm getting

order like should I go get help or should I just say damn that's a powerful thing and I'm numb to it and and fuck it you know what I'm saying it's interesting yeah it is interesting I don't really know how to feel about that shit you know a lot of times like that shit is crazy no I feel you and it makes you feel crazy. It makes me feel insane because I see people around me and they're breaking down and they're not being able to handle it

and they crying and talking about like, oh, you're so strong and whoop-ty-whoop and the whole time I'd be like, why am I not crying? Like you see it as strength I'd be thinking, bro, maybe something wrong with me for real,

you know what I'm saying? Like my dad died, I didn't cry for hell long. You know what I'm saying? Like one of my best friends just died like two, three weeks ago and I only cried one time. one time. You know what I'm saying? Like, I got the phone call in bed with my chick at like five

in the morning saying he got killed. And I just feel, like, sometimes I feel myself, like, it's almost like my brain that's protecting me from myself. You know what I'm saying? Like, you go into, like, this mode of, like, well, yeah. You know what I'm saying? Like, ain't shit you could do about it. You know what I'm saying? But it's a, it's a really weird feeling. But what I learned is, there is no normal. Everybody grieve different. I was talking to my nigga Funk, one of my best friends, He's down. He's been down since 2009 at this point. And I was talking to him, literally telling him the same shit.

Like, bro, I be feeling weird because I don't cry. And this nigger said, bro, I never forget. He was like, bro, you cry. You just don't cry with physical tears. That nigg said, bro, I've been in jail 10 years. I didn't cry to every way you could think about crying, bro. He was like, but people just think of crying when this thing is coming down your face. But he was like, bro, when you have anxiety or you,

depressed or he was like I hear you crying when you be writing you from me he's like you're crying all the time it's just not these things coming down your face so it's just like I said it's been a process of like just understanding myself and confronting myself and working through these emotions yeah I mean and people passing away too I mean I can see him looking over you and I can see you flourishing and doing your thing you said you know life has been you know a crazy ride right now I mean um what what what what heights has music you know what I'm saying took you as far as you know for right now music and did so much it for me bro it took the squad around the world literally

you know what I'm saying like took the homies to Europe you know what I'm saying just off rhyming words for real um it's put me on stages in front of 10,000 20 000 people you know what I'm saying it's opened up doors that allowed me to put my homies in position for them to eat you know what I'm saying it's just a vehicle like anything else and I think that's how niggas need to look at it more like it's a, like football was a vehicle to get my degree. Music is a vehicle for all these other opportunities and shit to happen for me, but also for people around me.

And then it's just like when people see me winning, they're more inspired to win. You know what I'm saying? So it's just a ripple effect down to everybody. Do you ever feel pressure? Like to keep the vehicle driving at a certain speed type shit? Sometimes, you know what I'm saying? But not really.

You know what I'm saying? I can't say that I really struggle with that. I mean, a lot of businesses got fucked over in the pandemic and shit too. And like a lot of independent rappers or like smaller type rappers with a following kind of felt that hit too. You know, like they're the small businesses too in a sense, you know? For sure. Yeah, I just feel like my mindset difference, especially when it's kind of music, but I feel like I'm actually hella raw. So I don't feel like I feel like at any point I can put out music and I'll be fine.

But that's just my experience, you know what I'm saying? So I can't say it. I felt too much pressure. The only pressure I think I put on myself is trying to put other people in position. And then, but you got to learn that you can open doors for people and they're not going to walk through. You know what I'm saying? I can only put you in certain situations and hope that you can kind of navigate it yourself. Have you struggled with that a lot, though?

I mean, because, I mean, you're always in the beginning. You got to try to put your homies on. You worried about it. And they got having money and everything. And, you know, some motherfuckers won't complain and shit like that. like you're struggling with that a lot still um at times you know i think it's more of a survivor's guilt thing than anything it's like you know what i'm saying like i've ever had multiple homies who've been killed multiple niggas in jail you know just multiple niggas where

life didn't necessarily work out for them the way it should have and then sometimes for me it's like damn all my little stars in line to get me here and then make me feel some type of way you know what i'm saying because how i'd be thinking about it bro in life one different choice could change whole life if I'd have bounced in the car at the wrong nigga, if I don't want to the wrong party, you know what I'm saying? If I were to chose to hang with these other niggas rather than these niggas, my whole life is different, but for some reason,

life has led me to hear, so that kind of makes me feel some type of way. So, like I said, I try to put niggas in position to put niggas on as best I can, for sure. And some niggas just don't even, you know, don't take heed to it, or you just can't, like you said, you just can't lead you. And then when you get in that situation

and you just notice that you couldn't leave this motherfucker, do you stop fucking with him as a friend or like you know what I'm saying that you push away or what do you do at that moment? Yeah I think it depends on who you are if you're my brother I never stop fucking with you you know what I'm saying like um but I'm I'm the master not fucking with people

when it comes to like music shit you know what I'm saying if you're somebody that came along on the journey and you know and you really went my nigga outside of this music shit and you get to a point where you don't know you feel entitled or you feel whatever or something don't work, I'll move on. I'll still be your friend outside of music shit. But when it comes to this, like, bro, I got a mission. I got a purpose.

You know what I'm saying? Like, I got to stay on that. So when it comes to music, I'll cut a nigga off for show. You know what I'm saying? Yeah. Have you worked to any of your favorite artist yet? Who did I work with? Well, Uncle Earl, I work with E40, which is legendary.

You know, so shout out, shout out 40. And you remixed the sprinkled. I did remix that. and he hopped on that shit. Yeah, I got to work with him. In terms of my favorite artists, no, because a lot of my favorite artists are like, older, are they dead?

Yeah. I want to hear you on a track with Brent Fiaz or Fias. I was saying, that would be hard. I don't know, but that would be sick. That would be crazy. No, I'd be down, but he's really clean, but I really fuck with him. Because, like, do you consider your music rap?

Sometimes. Like, you do rap, but it's more, like, soulful music. I feel like it's more music. music. Yeah, I think it's all over the place. I think it's some tracks where I rap. It's some tracks where I sing. Sometimes I'm in between. You know, I think it depends on the song. He's got one of a kind of style. Do you think the church influenced that? A hundred percent. You know what I'm saying? I grew up in the church with my mom. All my family

do either sings or plays instruments. I think I'm the least like the worst singer in my family. Like my family, like I'm auto-tuneistic, bro. You know what I'm keeping hunting with you. You know what I'm saying? But my family, they can really sing for like, sang, sang, for real. Who in your family's the best singer? I would think it's my cousin Nicole, but my granny was the best singer by far.

But everybody had that unique style. My mom could really sing too. My cousins, Courtney, Corey, and Lena. They could all really sing. Was it like family competition? Not necessarily a competition. More than a competition, when they get together,

it's a collaborative thing. Like we all singing together. One of my cousins playing the keys, you know, they're singing church shit. I just kind of play the background because I don't think I can sing like that. I feel like that capsulates the energy of the base so well just like, yeah.

It's like I'm thinking like a family barbecue, but people are also like jamming out and shit. Like that kind of energy. Yeah. Would you invite him to the barbecue? He can slide to the barbecue. Oh, man, what's going? Yeah.

As of now, he's cool. He ain't did nothing too crazy yet. Oh, no, I'm not on no. I'm not on no Adam shit. I'm not on no Adam shit. What does that shit mean? You know what I'm saying? You guys know what that means?

I don't know. I don't know what that shit means. You're Adam? You're Adam? You know what? I'll fuck with Adam. You know what I'm saying? He's a cool guy.

No, Adam's a nice guy. He seems like a cool guy. He seems like a cool guy. He ever upset you before? For sure. But any nigger who's talked for long enough has upset me. You know what I'm saying? You ain't going to agree with a nick on everything.

Like, especially if you have a long, like an hour long, podcast and you start to express your real feelings eventually I'm going to be like this nigger is kind of saying anything this niggas saying anything and I think he's a professional so he knows what he's doing he'd be pressing buttons you know what are you talking about yeah of course I'm I press buttons that's why I just ask him when you bite your ass to the

barbecue oh no that's how I feel about it's another dude on no jumper light skin brer uh it ain't me I was like it's you A.D? A.D? No, not A.D. The other one.

And he had flashed on something like a little stripper bitch. Sharp. Sharp. That shit is crazy. I'm a sharp fan. I fuck with Sharp. Oh, you're trying to pimp the hole. Yeah, I fuck with Sharp.

Oh, you're trying to pimp the hole. I'm trying to pimp the hole. I'm a funny nigga, bro. He's a very intriguing guy. You know what I'm saying? Like, I'll fuck with Sharp. He's provocative. It's a word for it.

I wouldn't say pimp the holes. He's trying to help these bitches, you know what I'm saying, and help, you know, in the direction that they need to go. But at the same time, he says some crazy shit too, but he says some real shit. But, like, that's how you be talking? No, I don't talk like that. I respect my beautiful black queens. Oh, so he disrespecting.

I need to say that. Don't be no words. See what I'm talking about. I'm starting a podcast. See what I'm talking about. Me and, brough. Nah, he's a. Nah, he's a good.

That's my lady. Shut on, sharp. What you got, man? Come on. Are you ready any good books lately? Say it again? You read any good books lately? Because my man's here can't really read.

So that's why he was laughing at the college thing, you know, communication. That's fucked up. I mean, I'm here, dude. I found my skills talking. I'm sorry. You have to be a talker if you can't read. I haven't read no books lately. I think one of the best books I've read recently.

It's called The Artist's Way. And it's just about, you know, creativity and a process of, like, creating. Have you always been a reader? Decently. You know, I read shit I like Because I'm with T-Roe. I don't read shit. I hate reading.

I like watching videos. I don't really like reading, but I like learning. And a lot of the real learning is in a book, so I read if I have to. But if it's on YouTube or it's on Instagram, I'd rather take it in that way. Pause. But if I can read a book to get it, I read a book. What are you watching on YouTube? Hell of random shit, niggas playing video games.

I'm doing it like a child. I watch No Jumper. You know, I fuck with y'all podcast. just random little documentaries and shit just some of the random shit now take me through some of your music process you know like how you pick the beat and how you feel you know what's going on

how you orchestrate your whole project or you know when you start recording um like sadderall no sometimes you know it depends but I think it it depends like niggas can send me a beat and sometimes the beat is just him you know what I'm saying like all this is crazy

sometime I'll produce it you know a lot of times when I produce because I really like live instrumentation I'll just kind of do the baseline of it and then I bring in a guitar player I bring in my nigger Reese to play some keys on it I really like cooking up from scratch with niggas that's my favorite thing like having a keyboard player in a room a guitar player and then a nigga who do drums because I feel like that's how you like to me that's where the real magic happens I feel like that's a whole language you know niggas playing instruments amongst themselves I think that's clean so that's how I really like to cook up and then after that I just either write or I freestyle it just just

depends. Where do you categorize yourself in the music game? Because this shit is all everywhere. I mean, like rap is here. Mamba rap. I mean, and too, I'll be feeling like 90% of it is just image. 1,000%. Yeah. And that's how I was thinking about, like, I was going to start wearing chain, like really turning up. You feel me? Like, do you feel like, do you feel like? Do you feel like I have to? But I understand why niggas do it. And I understand how perception works. One thousand percent. I'm not stupid. You know what I'm saying? So like being from the bay, do you think that puts you in a bomb? box like based on people's perception that you're from the Bay? What that I don't dress a certain way?

Or rap a certain way or sound a certain way? I think it actually takes me outside of the box because I don't do that. You know what I'm saying? Like a lot of people hear my music and they don't even know I'm from the Bay until they kind of really dig into my shit. But I think it's, you know, it's for sure different ways to play the game. And like you said, 90% of it is perception. Does it make it hard to collab with other artists from the Bay?

No. I fuck with everybody. Everybody. Everybody. It is the perception, but is it giving off the right perception. Because sometimes it's like, you know, the chain, the shit, the jury, it's like, okay, the niggas selling drugs, he gang bang, we shooting them up, blah, blah, blah, but you know, do we represent that?

You know what I'm saying? Are you just tired? Are you trying to get him in to see what it was really about? I think it depends from person to person. I think some niggas, that's really who they are. Like some niggas is just flashy niggas. Like if he didn't rap or nothing, he'll just be a flashy niggas. Some niggas are doing it because of the attention they're trying to get in the clout they're trying to get from it.

I think, you know, it goes both ways. But, you know, I think, like I said, it depends on how you play the game. And that's one way for sure you could play the game. I feel like it's sketchy times to be flashy right now, especially in the Bay. It's always sketchy times. Especially, especially in the Bay. Yeah. Hey, does the Tesla prevent bipping or no?

No, I think Tesla's get hit, for sure. Because I was thinking about it. They got the Central Mode. Both you guys have Teslas, but. Well, first of all, why is that a thing up there? I just seen that shit on TikTok and somebody was filming that shit. It's just like, you know, it said bipping. I didn't even know what that it was until I just seen his fucking TikTok.

And I'm like, he did all that shit to steal a nigger SpongeBob backpack. I'm like, what the fuck is going on up there? And it's going crazy. People leaving their windows crack. You feel I mean? Like, put your seats down and shit like that. Like, what is the fuck is the problem, dog? Come on.

I think there's a lot of shit, bro. I think niggas crazy. But I also think the system that we in and the economy forces, niggas to be like that, especially in the Bay where it's dumb-ass expensive. You know what I'm saying? And you got all these people working tech coming from Ohio, Montana, all these places. You're a lick. And you don't even know you a lick because you see this place is gentrified in certain areas

and it's not. So you're leaving your backpack in the car. Niggas been plotting on you for days. They know you got a laptop in there. They know you got a camera. And they've been watching your stupid ass. So they come and they hit your car and they take your shirt. shit and it's not even a niggas fault it's just you're a lick you don't know how to move you think

it's good and it's not good and i think niggas just take advantage of that i feel like niggas take advantage of it anywhere but in oakland niggas just not playing with you yeah up there is just crazy i seen 10 cars in a row i said come on i'd be sick you and it took my backpack i know you would for show and they do the shit broad daylight that's the yeah that's the scary part right now it's like this shit's happening broad day i was shooting a video with um with simba uh I just probably like four or five months ago for this other artist. And we're at, in San Francisco, at some park shooting this scene. Broad daylight, bro.

Mind you, it was hell of white people around. It's just like a lit-ass park. Bit in front of everybody. Walk up to the car. Bow. Get the shit, hot back in the car, leave. It's that fast, bro. Niggas not waiting for it to be nighttime.

They don't care if they're getting recorded either. Like, we out of here. But she was out there doing with Samba. We did a song. I can't remember the artist's name that we were featured on the song for. But he was just shooting the video out there It's coming out Yep

I believe you I mean Simba is one of a master Lyruses out of here He's really raw Yeah he really And I commend him Because he's been grinding for a long time Brough

Yeah Simba been grinding for a long time So to see him like Getting his just due is really tight Both your guys is firing the booth Hard Did you feel like I'm on this song With Simba

I'm gonna go like Stupid crazy I gotta get him No man I don't be thinking like that bro Why ain't I'll be no friendly competition I don't even know, to be honest, bro, because I did that so long ago. I don't know if, I didn't even know Symbol was on the song.

Okay, okay, okay, okay. You know what I'm saying? You know what I'm saying? Because, you know, his reputation now is crazy. So I play with him. I got bars too, you feel me? But, yeah, not at that time, for sure. Not at that time.

How did you start making music with Mazi? Because that's how I first got introduced to you. Random Empire shit. You're just out here doing some sessions. And then we pulled up on Mazi and Devo. And this was my mom. making music, we knocked out that hook that little boozy was on. And then ever since

then, we just kind of been tapped in. I mean, at any time, do you feel like, too, stop, like, being a rapper is the most dangerous profession out here. It really is. I thought it was just like something people were making up, and it's just like a little fad. People just want to have clouds something to talk about, but now

it's just like, oh my God, like niggas is dying left and right. You really can't do shit. You've got to have a bunch of motherfuckers with you. You can't really be flashing unless you got security. or a bunch of motherfuckers with you. Like, anytime do you be feeling like, you know, this might not be the job for me.

No, not really. Because one, I don't really live in that world. You know what I'm saying? I'm not really in that world like that. Like, I'm in that world, you know, because I do features and shit for niggas, but I'm not really planning like this is most shit I'm aware. You know what I'm saying?

So I don't think I'm a lick like that ever nigga get on me. You just get on me. And you learn that through like Nipsey. There's nothing you could do to really stop that shit. You know what I'm saying? It just is what it is. Because outside of rappers, niggas is dying every day, period. Rappers just get the attention because they got all these eyes and millions of followers and shit.

Niggas are dying every day. Over the same shit, rappers is dying for it. They just ain't got 500,000 followers. They just don't got a million plays on their YouTube. But niggas dying every day over money, over bitches, over ice and jewelry like that. Shit ain't just a rapper thing. That's a nigger thing. Yeah, me and my homies now, too, in the group chat now is the thing.

You know, we're always coming up with some fucking conspiracies, but now it's the thing. Yeah, the, the labels got life insurance policies on these niggas. But first it's just like, ah, but then I'm like, when you look at it, and they're like, oh, no. You know what I'm saying? How you feel about that? I'm not a fan of the post-Homis album, like an album after a nigga die.

I'm not a fan of that. But, you know, from my understanding, at least with Empire, is like, you know, it'd be certain situations where the family might want something released or some kind of shit like that. Are you doing it for his mama? To me, that's different. But I'm not a fan of it, you know what I'm saying? Unless, you know, y'all got something worked out or something, but the nigga did, you know what I'm saying?

So unless, like, his family or his mama needs some money or they want to do something, then that's a different case. But I'm personally not a fan of it. Have you been following any of the Los Angeles politics going out here? just recently, you know what I'm saying, out here with my home boy, Duno, who just walked up out of here. No, I can't say that I have. Damn, it's been going crazy out here.

There's a lot of low racial tension going out here as far as blacks and browns and the Tiger song. This is what. Oh, I did see that. Yeah. I did see that. So my man right here, you know what I'm saying? He commented, I mean, I guess he just didn't give the right, you know,

response to what he was supposed to be saying about the Tiger song or whatever. So his people was kind of like. mad at him or whatever the case may be. So it brought a lot of tension, but do you agree with Tiger having to delete his song? I mean, do you will delete his video? You know what I'm saying? Off of platforms because the Hispanic race was kind of mad at him?

I feel like if you disrespect, even though you might not deem it as disrespect, if you disrespect or upset, you know, any group of people, you got to be receptive to what they say. You know what I'm saying? Because niggas will want that. We'd be talking about cultural appropriation all the time. We'd be on helmet about cornrows. Yeah. You know what I'm saying? So it's the same for them. If they feel like they're getting their shit appropriated, then that's how they feel. That's their truth. And I feel like, you know, that's probably the right thing to do with the outrage that came in him to delete that shit. It's probably the right move. Yeah, I feel like it was a right move too. Yeah, I feel like it was a right move. But one thing

right after that move, he had that meeting at Part 106. And that guy that was up there, I part 106 It just had a video leaked With him saying the N-word And niggas didn't like that shit He was a spanish Oh man That's crazy

It's a lot of shit going on It's a lot of shit going on That's pretty wild Yeah so we didn't have to go You know It's a lot of them I mean you might want to tap into that shit You feel me and see what's up

Bangin your view on it Because that shit was wild So niggas was on his helmet I mean that's what we're dealing with right now I mean That's what's why That's what causing it. It's been a crazy week, dog.

It's been a crazy week, especially for me. I'm not even going to lie. I'm just. Why, though? I don't get it. Like, it just bled over to no jumper? It bled over to no jumper, yeah, because, you know, we posted something that they didn't like and people wanted to take this down.

And, you know, people had, you know, meetings start having to, you know, be orchestrated. And, you know, then we had to interview them. And then, you know, it just, it did bleed over here. It was just too much going on. That's crazy. Yeah, it was too much going on. I mean, they worked it out, though. I mean, is there any racial tension still up, you know, where are you from?

I'm pretty sure, you know what I'm saying? Even though it's not as blatant as out here, you know what I'm saying? It's for sure racial tension everywhere, but I don't see it as much. It ain't visible. You know, like a lot of it should be hitting in a little weird-ass ways, but I can't say that I've seen it too much. As far as the gangs and, you know, and shit like that, how is it up there? It's crazy like it always is. You know what I'm saying?

Like, it's just a sense. same as it is any hood everywhere. Niggas is funk and niggas is dying. It's the same shit, bro. How did you dodge it? You know what I'm saying? I know people, even at an older age, you would still kind of follow the wrong crowd

or you're getting the wrong crowd and you'll start rapping, you know, shit that you're not supposed to be rapping. Like, how did you dodge that movement? Like I said, I had good parents, bro. I had a good pops who guided me, you know, in the right direction. I think a lot of it was them.

a lot of it was just luck and happenstance, you know what I'm saying? Because I know niggas, because niggas be like, oh, I had good parents. I know niggas who had good parents and was out there with the niggas. You know what I'm saying? They had better parents than me. Spoiled all the shit. Didn't need to be out there. So I just think it's a combination of both.

Like luckily, you know, where I'm from is conducive of, you know, positivity. My parents was positive. I had good role models and, you know, I had a structured life. So I kind of wiggled through. But, you know, like I said, at any point, point it could have been different. Yeah, for real. It could have been different. I mean, for me. I mean, how about you? My brother?

I don't know. You ain't invited to the barbecue, no one. That's hilarious. My nigga's going to run. No fucking one of the kids right here. But yeah, bro, I mean, shit, tell the people what you got coming. You know what I'm saying? You got anything new for us or, you know, what's up next? Yeah, so I just dropped the blue hour. It came out like two or three weeks ago. It's my new project.

I got Larry June on there at Waleigh, Fireboy, DML, who arrests on there. You know, so go check that out. Like I said, it's about everything I went through last year. Tour is coming up. I go on tour September 22nd through November 4th. We start in Dallas. We ended in the city in SF. Yeah, man, fuck with me.

And how did those features come about? Like, did you actually have to reach out, or was it still like the Empire shit and like some industry shit or what? So me and Russ are cool. We've been tapped in for we've got hell of songs with each other. So I hit him about that. I knew Larry June as well. And then the Fireboy and Waleigh play was for sure, for sure, Empire Play. Larry Joan.

I mean, the feature is. I was like the Larry June feature right now. Let's be real. It's kind of hard to get the Larry June feature. It's kind of hard to get his ass up here. I mean, everybody. Everybody is. That nigger rich as fuck.

If I was that rich, I wouldn't be doing nothing. I didn't want to do it. He's paying. He's doing really well. He's like, I don't give a fuck. riding bikes and shit yeah he's fucking around has Russ ever gave you that speech about being independent every time

for sure man man what of them talks like insane he's intense niggas that's my homie though like but it's like he's really passionate about that shit you know what I'm saying like that also paired with that he actually did it and he has a blueprint to do it and there's like a method to this madness

you know I think he's really just super passionate about it and I think he sees the potential in other artists and he's just trying to be like, yo, you don't have to take that deal. There's a way to do it this other way. You know what I'm saying? We've argued about it a lot.

You know what I'm saying? Because I have my views on it. He has his. But, like, he's super passionate about it. And he's super positive. Like, everything he's doing is just to help niggas for real. And I'm curious to know your views because you sign the empire. Right.

My thing is, like, I think it's different for everybody. You know what I'm saying? Like, I look at it, like, there are niggas. there are niggas who are taking risks with their life right they out in the street selling drugs hitting licks all this kind of shit and then they could get an offer a deal and i'm all about favorable deals like of course there are bullshit crazy deals that got you for hell of albums taking your masses all that shit i'm talking about partnerships like business partnerships at least 50 50 or are you getting more um where these this advance and this money could get you out the streets that's the same

That's how I look at it. Like I'm, if my nigga is thugging hard like that and I could be like, bro, they're fin to get you 250. Get up out of there. Like, why would I tell him not? Because if I tell him not to do that, it's leaving him out here, he might fucking die. That's how I look at it. And I feel like every deal is different.

You know what I'm saying? And it's like, we're in a time now where you could get a solid deal or negotiate a good deal because so many people are talking. It's like if you can go on YouTube and look up deals, you could Google it. It's people talking about it all the time. And then also people got to realize what you're. strings come with these deals. Like labels are running crazy plays for niggas. You know what I'm saying? Like they're doing, they're getting you sync placements. They're getting you playlists. They're getting you

these features. They're doing all these things to kind of take this hassle off you. You know what I'm saying? So I'm not anti-deal. I'm just in favor of taking the right deal. And you got to know what game you're playing. Like, niggas are very short-sighted and thinking, one, maybe two years. But like, maybe you see yourself taking a deal. I'm going to do this year and a half, these couple albums. And it's going to set me up for the next five years to be independent and it puts you in this position to really accelerate your career. Now you have a budget, you know, to really bring your art to life. Because I've seen a lot of dope artists, they just ain't got no money. So they can't. They could do a video and maybe it ain't the video they wanted to do or the cover art. Ain't the idea or they can't get their shit mixing

and master because they don't got the bread. But a favorable deal can help you in all assets. And it just comes to a hell of different assets from the label to help you move. Well, educate some of my people out here because, you know, getting the right deal. are signing a right deal is very, very important. You know, so what are some of the red flags you should look for while looking at your contract? Like I said, 50-50 at least to me is the move. The word perpetuity,

niggas need to understand what that word means because it means forever. You should never let nobody put perpetuity in your contract. That means something is forever. You can get your rights to your music least instead of owned, Like instead of me buying your master's forever in perpetuity, I could lease your master's for three years. And we negotiate like after this three years, either I'll get them back or we get them back at a percentage. It's a lot of different shit. You know what I'm saying?

It's a lot of different ways to do it. But like I said, all this shit is really on the Internet for people who want to learn. It ain't like the information ain't there. It's just that motherfuckers don't want to do the research to do it. That's how you educated yourself? Like that, a lot of shit too was like that, but also talking to other artists, you know, who've been in that. situation who can kind of help guide you. But a lot of shit I learned just in life

in general for shows on YouTube University. Yeah, YouTube University is a motherfucker for sure. You know what I'm saying? You got a communications degree from there. I learned how to that I learned how to fix my refrigerator filter from

that motherfucker. I just fixed my garbage disposal on YouTube. I swear to God. I just replaced the accurate. I swear to God. My break late. Literally yesterday from YouTube. It's always an old white nigger from Wisconsin. He's showing you how to do it. It's like 400 views too.

Yeah, 400 views. It's so clutch, though. And in the comments be like, thank you, man. I've been searching for three weeks trying to get this done. Oh my God. Keith from Milwaukee just helped you. That's fucking hilarious. Thank you, Keith.

I'm not even going to lie. YouTube University is shit. And it's free. It's crazy. It's also shitty there when you get a shitty tutorial one where you're like, nah, this shit ain't right. You got to get up out of there. You got to get up out of there.

You got to learn how to research well on YouTube University. well yeah man it was nice having you i appreciate y'all i appreciate you too man nice conversation nice to learn about you man oh thank you tiro appreciate you yeah sir appreciate you rach yeah sure i appreciate you yeah let's go yes sir we're out of here